Hi everyone, Melissa here from CloudMom.com.
Rainy day here in New York.
It's very dark and I'm talking about a really serious issue that's facing parents these
days and has been for quite a few years.
Should I store cord blood from my baby's umbilical cord in a bank and it's an important decision
that you have to make before your baby's born.
Now, just speaking personally, this is not something I did with any of my five children.
I did have discussions about it with family members who are doctors, I opted not to do
it.
But it's a very personal decision and it's a medical decision.
So, in this show, I just wanted to put out there, five things to think about as you're
making this decision and if anyone else has other views, I would love to hear them 'cause
it's a big thing.Okay.
Here's number one.
This actually could save a life.
The stem cells that are contained in cord blood are an invaluable thing and they could
be used to battle up to 80 different types of life-threatening diseases including, I'm
reading from my notes here, cancer, blood disorders, immune system disorders.
And there also are now clinical trials underway to see how these stem cells could be helpful
in battling things such as autism, spinal cord injuries, diabetes.
So obviously, this is a very rich source of something that could be potentially very,
very healing to your baby, God forbid, should they develop something and need it.
However, point number two, the chances that you will actually use the stem cells contained
in the cord blood that you saved are extremely low.
From what I've read, and please tell me if you disagree, the amount of stem cells contained
in one unit of cord blood are only enough to treat a child under 10 years old, 10 years
old or younger.
And meanwhile, the chances that before age 10 your baby will need these stem cells are
about 1 in 10,000.
So, very low.Point number three, moving on.
If your child again, God forbid, needs a transplant, there is a good chance that it would be recommended
that your child seek another donor because the feeling could be that you wouldn't want
to re-implant cells that could contain whatever was causing your child to become ill.
Meaning, that you would not be even using the cord blood.
Here's another point.
It's very, very expensive.
I read estimates ranging from $1500 to $2000 for this procedure and you will have annual
storage rates of between $100 to $200, sometimes even higher.
Final point, and I do come from a family of doctors.
I'm always very, very reluctant to criticize anyone in the medical community.
But there are doctors who are paid by cord blood banks to give advice and encourage people
to store this cord blood.
So, if your doctor is doing that or if you're going to doctors seeking this sort of advice,
you do need to make sure and ask whether he is receiving monetary compensation for giving
you this advice.
Okay.
And here's the final point.
If you think this is important and I think it's a great idea.
There are public cord blood banks.
So, you can take the cord blood from your baby's umbilical cord and give it, donate
it to a bank, in which case it could very, very helpful to another ill child, which I
think is just a wonderful thing to do and a great way to start off your baby's life
in giving to someone else.
So, just some things to think about.
I really, really would love to hear other people's point of view.
Do you disagree with me?
Did you do this?
Did you not do this?
Was there a family history involved that led you to make this decision?
Please comment on this blog on CloudMom.com.
Thank you so much for watching and best of luck having a healthy baby.